In a conventional recording and/or reproducing apparatus for recording and/or reproducing music number data, the music number data recorded on a recording medium, such as an optical disc, a magneto-optical disc or an IC card, is read out and reproduced. Meanwhile, scores of musical numbers, lasting for approximately two hours, are recorded on a recording medium, such as an optical disc, a magneto-optical disc or an IC card. In retrieving music number data recorded on the recording medium, the recording and/or reproducing apparatus causes an optical pickup to traverse the recording tracks of the recording medium, in a forward direction, responsive to a user's operation, to jump to a recording track bearing the address specified by the user. Moreover, a retrieval key word, such as a name of the music air, can be input to permit retrieval of the music number data based on this retrieval key word.
By causing the optical pickup to traverse the recording track through the recording tracks in the forward direction to retrieve preset music number data, much time is needed in retrieval if many music number data are recorded, thus inconveniencing the user in retrieving the music number data.
In retrieving preset music number data by specifying an address of a recording track, the user has to memorize the address where the preset music number data is recorded. If the user does not memorize the address, he or she feels inconvenienced in retrieving the music number data.
Moreover, if, in retrieving preset music number data using the retrieval key word, the user forgets the retrieval key data, it becomes impossible to retrieve the data.
In particular, in a recording and/or reproducing apparatus capable of retrieving the music number data recorded on the recording medium, a keyboard for inputting a retrieval key word is required, while a microphone is needed in inputting the retrieval key word with speech.
When a keyboard or a microphone is mounted on the recording and/or reproducing apparatus, the hardware is complex, such that, when the recording and/or reproducing apparatus is portable, the apparatus is bulky in size and inconvenient to transport. In case of an apparatus in which the retrieval keyword is input with speech, not only the speech uttered by the user but the noise is collected in a noisy place, such as in a street or an electrically rolling stock, to render it impossible to recognize the speech correctly.
Meanwhile, there is such a recording medium, currently available, in which the retrieval key word is recorded in a management area of the recording medium at the outset. However, since this retrieval key word is not one input by the user, it may be an occurrence that the user finds it difficult to memorize the retrieval key word.